I'm here to build community power and work toward collective liberation.

When I moved to Amherst, I found a town full of passionate people, beautiful fields and forests, strong ideas, and real challenges.

As I listened and learned, I began to understand the complexity of the issues we face—and I also met neighbors, educators, organizers, and advocates working to make Amherst a leader in areas I value highly:

FULLY-FUNDED, MULTILINGUAL PUBLIC EDUCATION

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL

LAND CONSERVATION AND SENSIBLE DEVELOPMENT

STRONG UNIONS TO PROTECT THE WORKING CLASS

INVESTMENT IN EQUITY AND ALTERNATIVES TO POLICING

DIVESTING FROM WAR/GENOCIDE AND FOSSIL FUELS

WALKABLE, ACCESSIBLE STREETS AND PAVED ROADS

I got involved in high-impact efforts like Support Our Schools (SOS) Amherst, focused on securing critical funding for our public schools, and co-founded Valley Families for Palestine, which creates family-friendly actions in solidarity with the global movement for Palestinian liberation.

This work makes me feel at home, and it regularly shows me how our struggles are all connected. Right now, I know that many people are frustrated, exhausted, and deeply concerned about where we’re headed. I hear you. I feel it too.

Local government should meet those concerns with transparent communication, integrity, and real action. Amherst needs leaders who are committed to participatory democracy and who understand that local decisions are intrinsically connected to broader systemic issues.

That’s why I’m running for Town Council in District 1—to help rebuild trust, restore power to the people, and ensure that our policies reflect our values and result in concrete outcomes.

I know the value of fighting for each other and the things we care about.

I grew up in a town that used to be a lot like Amherst. When my family moved there in the early ’90s, it was a place that working-class families like mine could afford and enjoy a high quality of life. But over time, forests and farms were replaced by luxury developments, longtime residents were priced out, and the mayor was not-surprisingly indicted for corruption.

I saw how quickly a town can lose its way, and how the loss of trust in our representatives opens the door to division and anti-democratic forces on a larger scale.

In the years since, I’ve been fortunate to spend time in many communities—urban, suburban, and rural—where people have come together to push for policies that will achieve the best outcomes for all. That type of energy is abundant here in Amherst.

I'm qualified and ready to get to work.

I have more than 15 years of experience as a nonprofit leader and community organizer. I’ve consistently brought people together to solve tough problems, and I bring a strong understanding of strategic planning, building budgets with limited resources, and coalition-building. These skills are needed on the council now more than ever.

I live in North Amherst with my husband and our two children, who attend Fort River Elementary in the Caminantes program. I work as a nonprofit consultant, run a small business, and hold a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University.

I have time to commit to this work, to have coffee with constituents, to do my homework. I’m running because I believe I can offer bold, inclusive leadership grounded in lived experience, shaped by community input, and focused on building a positive, sustainable future for this town.

SUPPORT OUR GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN

CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Leyla Moushabeck, Co-Chair

Louai Abu-Osba, Co-Chair

Stephen Brevik, Treasurer

Farah Assi

Mireille Bejjani

John Bonifaz

Meg Dewar

Ya-ping Douglass

Jenie McKenna

Hannah Moushabeck

Elizabeth Murphy

Hoang Phan

Lissa Pierce Bonifaz

Marisol Pierce Bonifaz

Sarah Prager

Julian Ramirez

Ashwin Ravikumar

Lindsey Schreiner

Gerry Weiss

Betsy Wheeler

VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

PRIORITY AREAS

PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY

• Ensure fiscal responsibility and transparency, with a focus on creating a more positive and participatory town budgeting process

• Promote broader inclusion and increase representation, leadership, and participation on town boards and committees

• Respond promptly, communicate transparently, and share facts openly to keep constituents informed and united during key decisions

• Identify and address barriers to resident participation in local government

• Implement changes to mechanisms for feedback, looking beyond the limitations of Public Comment to engage more meaningfully with residents

ENSURE SAFE & ACCESSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE

• Immediately investigate, share information, and collaborate to address urgent repair and road maintenance needs

• Support initiatives to create accessible sidewalks to improve safety and mobility and advocate for improved public transportation, including expanded PVTA bus service

• Ensure that development is community-centered and benefits all residents, implementing simple and affordable safety measures like speed bumps and stop signs in densely populated neighborhoods and recreational areas, and mandating Accessible Pedestrian Signals at all intersections and roundabout crossings

PROMOTE EQUITABLE & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• Support zoning and planning policies that reflect long-term community needs; ensure that new development is in the best interest of District 1 residents

• Enforce firm affordable housing requirements in new multi-unit developments

• Attract and retain locally-owned businesses, with specific support for the Black Business Association of Amherst’s priorities and initiatives

• Encourage culturally enriching and community-building events

• Prioritize the town’s climate action and environmental justice goals in line with Smart Solar Amherst recommendations

• Utilize land conservation as a vital tool for protecting our water supply, managing stormwater, and building resilience to climate change, and as part of a broader sustainability strategy that includes responsible development, carbon reduction, and climate adaptation.

• Support the implementation of waste hauler for universal composting bylaw

FIGHT FOR REPARATIVE JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS

• Fund and advocate for the successful continuation and scaling of alternative emergency response services (CRESS)

• Support the establishment or refinement of mechanisms for residents to raise concerns regarding the Amherst Police Department, with the goal of accountability, transparency, and consultation, to ensure public safety services are provided in a way that contributes to eliminating systematic racism in Amherst

• Support the successful implementation of reparations for Black residents of Amherst

• Sponsor any resident-led resolutions that are centered on upholding our town's deep commitment to human rights locally, nationally, and internationally

• Lead an effort to research, disclose information to the public, and ultimately help the town divest from companies that do not align with its values, including fossil fuel companies and weapons manufacturers

• Work with local immigrant rights groups to protect undocumented community members

• Eliminate unnecessary fines and fees that disproportionately harm marginalized residents and students

• Increase availability of programs and services for seniors

SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS

• Collaborate to build a school budget that prioritizes student needs and safety, livable wages, and a greater investment in teachers and school staff, in line with SOS Amherst recommendations

• Immediately address emergency repair needs to keep kids safe and healthy while they are in school buildings

• Support the continued success of bilingual and world language education

• Serve as a strong voice alongside our state reps to advocate for state-level support

• Work with PGOs and other citizen groups to foster anti-racist schools and protect our teachers, school staff, students, and parents from all forms of harassment, with a focus on trainings and resources rooted in a collective liberation framework

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

VOTER INFORMATION

Find out everything you need to know about this election, including your district, where and how to vote, and more.